The Design and Crafts Council of Ireland’s 2026 Irish Business Design Challenge is now open for applications. Micro or small businesses that use design to create sustainable solutions are invited to apply to this DCCI competition. There are awards of up to €20,000 per business, amongst a total prize funding of €50,000.
The Irish Business Design Challenge is looking for businesses that have:
Changed their business model to add value
Repurposed or redesigned their products or services sustainably
Developed new eco-friendly processes or partnerships
Discovered new or more efficient ways of working
Invented innovative and meaningful solutions
Solved societal or environmental problems through sustainable design
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Shepherds and sheep flocks are an indispensable to biodiversity and the preservation of our natural landscapes. But they are often overlooked.
To raise awareness for shepherds and sheep flocks, a group of advocates has organised a 53-day Wool March, from Texel in the Netherlands to the European Parliament in Brussels. The March will be rally style:
“No sheep or shepherd <will> walk the entire route! We pass the hook from shepherd to shepherd, flock to flock creating a line of support for this ecological, cultural and social importance of this overlooked system”.
The walk starts on Saturday, the 22nd of August in Texel, Netherlands and arrives in Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday the 13th of October 2026.
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On Sunday, the 16th of August, 17 volunteers from Feltmakers Ireland gathered to teach two sessions of wet and needle felting to over 45 students. Our event was part of the annual August Craft Month and Heritage Week.
The What
We had two educational sessions: a morning session from 10 AM to 12 PM and an afternoon session from 12:30 to 2:30 PM. Both were well attended, with students enjoying learning about the different methods of feltmaking.
Students created several types of felted flowers, three-dimensional sheep, and even trees! They had the opportunity to work with wet and needle felting techniques.
Wet Felting
Needle Felting
Happy Students
Irish Wool Display
There was also a display area featuring Irish Wool and our ‘Exploring Irish Wool for Feltmaking’ book. The vertical display panel was created by Annika Berglund during the research for the book.
Artwork Displayed & Treats Eaten
Volunteers’ felt art was displayed on the stage at the front of the room. There were wearables, wall art, and sculptures!
Artworks
Treatsand Taking a Break
More Photos – Hands!
Thanks
Thank you to all of the students who shared their Sunday with us. We look forward to seeing some of you at future Sessions!
Many thanks to SiobhánRyan for chairing this event, and to all the volunteers who helped with the day: Adrienne, Ananya, Christine, Clodagh, Elizabeth, Eva, Helena, Hilary, Irina, Juliane, Lauren, Linda, Loli, Lorna, Margaret C, and Margaret R C.
Some of our Volunteers – apologies for not having everyone’s photograph
AnanyaElizabethEvaHilary and LindaLindaJulianeLoli and EvaMargaretLaurenMargaretChristine and ClodaghHelenaIrina and a studentAdrienne and Lorna (not a great pic)Siobhán
Additionally, we would like to thank the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland‘s August Craft Month and Heritage Week for sharing our event so wonderfully. We had an excellent turnout this year!
Both organisations have other exciting events happening.
August Craft Month runs through the end of the month.
Heritage Week runs until the 23rd of August.
Many thanks to our members, who comprise Feltmakers Ireland West, for hosting a ‘Felting Fun Day’ on Saturday, the 15th, in Boyle, Co Roscommon as part of August Craft Month.
Lastly, we want to thank the CIE Sports Hall / Social Club in Inchicore, Dublin, for allowing us to rent storage space and use the hall for our meetings and sessions.
Next Month
Our next regular Sunday Session will be on the 20th of September. It will feature Eva Salamon, who will teach us how to make needle felted owls. Members will receive more information shortly.
Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.
Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.
This year, Dublin Maker will have an Open Fashion Show. Whether you’ve crafted an elaborate outfit or made a cute patch on your jeans, you are invited to enter.
On the day, fill out a card with some information about your make. The cards will be given to the emcee, who will call designers/makers up one by one.
There will be four slots:
Saturday, the 22nd of August at 12:45 and 14:45, and
Sunday, the 23rd of August at 11:15 and 14:30
Sign up for whichever ones work best for you. Please arrive a few minutes early to fill out your card if you are entering.
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.
Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.
Tickets are now available for the annual Flax Meitheal Harvest Celebration, on the weekend of 22rd-23st of August.
Fibreshed Ireland is once again partnering with Mallon Linen, Linen Workers CIC, and PlayThinkBrink to bring a weekend of presentations, panel discussions, craft demonstrations, a farm visit, music, and poetry.
Come learn about the history of linen production on this island, the present solutions & challenges, and help shape a regenerative, equitable and joyful flaxen future!
The event format combines a conference, a workshop, and a flax-harvesting party.
The first day in An Creagán will be more conference-style, with presentations and workshops throughout the day. It will finish with an evening of music, poetry, crafting, and craic. The second day in Mallon Linen will be a working day of harvesting flax.
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.
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The Shaking Bog Festival returns to the Glencree Valley, County Wicklow, with a programme of writers, artists, dancers, musicians, and nature experts for an event packed with creative engagement and immersive outdoor experience, designed to offer a sense of hope by connecting people more deeply with each other and with the natural world around them.
Reflecting on the traditions of the ancient Irish Bilberry Festival that marks the beginning of the Lughnasa harvest, this year’s Shaking Bog Festival is about gathering – gathering together to celebrate this shared heritage and, as always, our true connection to the natural world.
Feltmakers Ireland guild member Sharon Wells, who, with Caroline Byrne, is part of Black Sheep, will be part of an Open Day sharing about Irish Wool on Saturday, the 22nd, as part of the Festival. Exploring the craft of woolmaking, from sheep farming through to the skills of knitting and felting, this event will lead people deep into a creative engagement with land, heritage, art, and nature.
NOTE: This particular event is sold out, but there are tickets available for other events.
When: The Festival runs from Friday, the 21st through Sunday, the 23rd of August
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
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Sunday, the 9th of August, and the sun was shining at the annual Tullamore Agricultural Show in County Offaly! It was an early start for Elizabeth, Clodagh, Siobhán, Linda, Mary O, and Mary G, who represented the Feltmakers Ireland Guild at the Crafts area.
Our Volunteers
Mary O, Elizabeth, and SiobhanLinda and ClodaghMary G and Clodagh
A record 70,000 people attended the show, and many dropped by to chat and watch the wet felting and needle-felting demonstrations. It is encouraging to see the level of interest in the craft, as evidenced by conversations and the many enquiries to join our guild.
Member Linda Costello joined Feltmakers Ireland in 2025 and has become a regular attendee since we established Feltmakers Ireland West, which meets monthly in Co Galway.
Linda was delighted to win first prize with her entry ‘4 sods hard won turf’ and second prize for her ‘Contemporary Summer Garden’, both in the Horticulture section. She was also awarded a Best in Show certificate. Well done, Linda!!
Linda’s Pieces
Linda Costello’s ‘4 sods hard won turf’‘Linda Costello’s ‘Contemporary Summer Garden‘
As we promote Irish wool, it was lovely to see the different breeds of sheep and the alpacas, all looking so well-tended and plentiful. Speaking with breeders, we learned that they are encouraged by this year’s increase in Irish wool prices; it is good news for everyone.
Sheep and Alpaca Pics
Marshmallow Sheep made by a young person
It was a very positive day at the Tullamore Show, and Feltmakers Ireland is delighted to be invited to return for a 5th year in a row in 2027.
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
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Craftwork Festival 2026 invites European practitioners to Barcelona for three days of exhibition, exchange, and reflection on how craft can shape more sustainable, circular, and environmentally responsible practice.
There are two participation tracks: one in person and the other online.
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
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There’s a recorded webinar from the Livestock Conservancy in the USA featuring a panel discussion on how small-scale fibre mills can help save rare sheep breeds and provide fibre for textile artists.
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
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SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) is seeking proposals from fibre artists who would like to present at one of SAQA’s 2027 Textile Talks. This is a paid opportunity open to artists worldwide.
Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.
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Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.
